1. Set aside a time to write and keep it sacred. (I make time, my mind and the story consume my brain until it's written. I write until my fingers are about to fall off).

2. Remove all distractions while you write. (this insures you get the most out of the time. I fall victim to distractions but when I'm in the moment nothing stops me.)

3. Outline your plot. (I added this for those who struggle with their thoughts. Write them down, get the story set up before you begin.)

4. Avoid the intimidation of a blank computer screen. (Key: Just write)

5. Keep a draft mentality. (This is a draft. Several writers revise and write, revise and write, but when you're just looking to finish a draft, put that revise mentality in the back of your mind and Just Write.)

6. Don't feel compelled to begin at the beginning. (for NaNo writers I'm not sure this would work, but if you're just looking to start writing, start where you feel is right.)

7. Organize your chapters, especially if you are not going to write in order. (If writing out of order this will work for you a lot more!)

8. Don't be afraid of putting yourself out there. (sharing work will change your life!)

9. Only you can determine when you are finished. (When it's done it's done. Don't let anyone tell you, only you really know.)

10. Make up your mind to finish your novel, and you can do it. The only thing standing in the way is you.

73 comments:

Wow! 5 days! That is amazing. I love this advice. With my next WIP I have vowed to just write. Not write and edit like I usually do. I want to get the words down, accept the fact that it might not be perfect and save the editing for the second draft.

I didn’t really know where my story was going (they often have a life of their own, in my case). And then, I suddenly knew the ending, wrote that, and now I have direction. So, it’s closing in from both sides, and will hopefully meet somewhere in the middle.The enigmatic, masked blogger

You are a writing machine. It takes me longer to get it out. Number 5 always gets me. I have to keep telling myself "It's okay if it's crap. It's supposed to be puke on a page." Awesome ideas! And thanks for stopping by my little neck of the woods.

I'm bad with the distractions and really bad with the chapter thing. I sorta put a few blank lines where I *think* the chapter could come in, but I can't put too much thought into it because then I'd be stressed one chapter is 2 pages while the next one is 12.

Great tips though! Just the motivational pep talk I needed. Can you do that for the gym, too?

This is all great advice! For me I have to have a specific computer/desk/location for writing. It can't be the same one I dick around on the internet on. In fact it's best if it's not even online. Then it's like going to work ... and I actually get WORK done (writing).

hi miss jen! im real bad about getting distracted cause we got so much people at our house. sometime i gotta fight to get on the computer and cause im more small mostly i lose. ugh! im just way behind on the book im doing now and i gotta get back at it cause for sure i want to get it done. for another writing tip you just gotta have a big bowl of sparkles so when your get slowed down you just toss a handful in the air and it gets all over you and gets you going again. :)...hugs from lenny

I have a tough time keeping the draft mentality. I'm one who writes and revises, then repeats. Although it's not something I would recommend for NaNoers, it's just how some writers are. For me it's more of finding a balance between getting the words down and letting the internal editor do it's thing. Tricky, but I think it can be done.

Great advice, I think the majority of your don'ts are my do's that I'm trying to get past. I have an awful habit of editing as I write and often will destroy and change the direction of my story to the point that I no longer have any idea what it's about.

So that is the bad writing habit I am working on right now and it's working the story is flowing with a life of it's own. Who would have guessed that suppressing that inner editor would be so productive. ;)

I am SO happy to know another fast writer. If I didn't have two kids and a husband and a house and...You get the idea.I finish with the first draft within a month, easy. That's with, work and kids and all that extra stuff.I hope to one day be paid to write - giving me the delightful excuse to lock myself in a room for 8-10 hours at at time.

At your rate, you'll soon finish novels in one day, you rockstar, you!

The biggest key for me is to eliminate distractions. Emails, blogging, facebook, twitter. I would probably get my writing done much faster if I typed on a computer not hooked up to the internet. Unfortunately, I need the internet for research so there goes that idea.

I haven't been able to write with an outline. It seems to such the fun out of it for me. I do some plotting in my head first too. I create the ending scene, the beginning scene and maybe one other scene. Then I'm good to go. :)

Great tips but there is no way I could write a novel in five days! How on Earth do you do it? Even if your first draft was 50,000 words, that's 10,000 a day and at least ten hours at the computer. I think my brain would shut down on me. LOL.